Armed Group Shuts Sharara Pipeline Valve, Slashing Libya Oil Output

Libya's state oil company has reported a fresh disruption to one of the country's most important crude streams, after an armed group forced a pipeline valve shut.

The National Oil Corporation said the group closed valve 7 on the pipeline that carries Sharara crude to the Zawiya port on Monday. The move sharply reduced output at the Sharara field, one of Libya's largest producing assets.

The NOC did not say who was behind the closure or what demands, if any, were made. It also gave no estimate of the volume of production lost.

Sharara has repeatedly been a target of blockades and shutdowns in recent years, with armed factions and local groups at times using control of oil infrastructure as leverage. The pipeline to Zawiya is the main export route for crude from the field.

The latest closure adds to the fragility of Libya's oil sector, which remains central to state revenues even as the country's political divisions persist. Each interruption at a major field tends to ripple through export schedules and the wider economy.

There was no immediate word on when the valve might be reopened or whether talks to restore flows were under way.